METHANE FROM MANURE TO BIODEGRADABLE PLASTIC

Methane is emitted during the production and transport of coal, natural gas, and oil.
Methane emissions also result from livestock and other agricultural practices and by the decay of
organic waste in municipal solid waste landfills.
The Philippine downstream plastics industry refers to the plastic fabricators and
manufacturers which convert plastic resins to industrial and consumer finished products. Main
production processes include film and sheet extrusion; injection moulding; compression
moulding; extrusion blow moulding: injection blow moulding; injection stretch blow moulding;
pipe and profile extrusion; net and twine extrusion; woven sack extrusion and weaving; sheet
thermoforming, printing, lamination, slitting and bag forming; and recycling.
Plastic is a widespread and pervasive material that is used by a multitude of industries in
the production of numerous products. In the Philippines, industries such as the electronics,
construction, food, cosmetics, packaging, and automotive are aligned with the viability of the
plastics industry. Having a local source of plastic materials benefits all sectors with its adaptive,
just in-time delivery capabilities, and more importantly softens the impact brought about by
dollar and import requirements.
Majority of the plastics companies are situated Metro Manila, particularly in the
CAMANAVA (Caloocan, Malabon, Navotas, Valenzuela) area, while others are from Manila,
Pasig and CALABARZON (Cavite, Laguna, Batangas, Rizal, and Quezon). There are some in
Iloilo and Cebu in the Visayas, and Davao in Mindanao.
The main industry association in the plastics industry Philippine Plastics Industry
Association, Inc. (PPIA).
With the coming of the ASEAN Economic Community in 2015, and given that
applications for plastics are increasing from building and infrastructure, transport, automotive
sectors among others, foreign investments are shifting towards the region. This creates
opportunities for the industry to gain competitive advantage in the global market.
Although an extremely useful material, plastic is an environmental disaster. It clogs up
landfills, it litters our oceans and it can be harmful to various organisms. Developing
biodegradable plastics that can be produced in a viable and sustainable manner has proved
difficult in the past. But all may not be lost as scientists at Stanford University have teamed up
with a start-up company called Mango Materials in order to develop a technique to produce a
biodegradable plastic in an environmentally friendly way; from waste methane.
Polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs) are a family of biodegradable plastics that are produced
naturally by some species of bacteria as an energy or carbon storage material through the
fermentation of sugars. Previous attempts to commercialize this process have involved
genetically modified organisms that are typically provided with plant-derived sugars as the input.
However, this isnt particularly sustainable given that it is taking away from the human food
supply and requires land to grow the crops.
Local Plastic Demand

Local Plastic Supply